Chris Paul says too much is being made of his decision not to sign a contract extension with the L.A. Clippers this summer. Don’t take it to mean, Paul says, that he doesn’t want to stay with the team beyond this season. It’s a matter of money, of course, and Paul is simply making a choice that makes more financial sense.

Paul could have signed a three-year, $60 million extension with the Clippers this summer. If he waits until next year, that deal becomes five years, $108 million.

"I'll wait until next summer to decide everything," Paul told ESPNLosAngeles.com. "It's funny, ESPN doesn't put at the bottom of the ticker, like why you don't do the three-year. But I opted in for this year or I would've had the opportunity to do that again this summer."

Paul stresses that he hasn’t made up his mind about his future and said former GM Neil Olshey, who is now with the Portland Trail Blazers, “had a lot to do with me being here with the Clippers so I'm always going to be grateful to him for that.” Despite Olshey's departure, he sees a bright future for the franchise.

"I'm excited about our future," Paul said, per ESPN L.A. "Bringing in Jamal (Crawford), and obviously getting Chauncey (Billups) back. Everybody knows how I feel about that. That was huge."

The bottom line for Clippers fans: you’re probably the favorite to keep Paul, but don’t count it as a done deal. There’s sure to be plenty of buzz around Paul before his final decision is made, and the Atlanta Hawks and Dallas Mavericks have already been floated as possible destinations for the All-Star point guard.